The Youngstown State men’s basketball team and Robert Morris had memorable runs to the Horizon League championship game last season. The two met again with their seasons on the line in the first round of the conference tournament on Wednesday in Moon Township, Pa.

And similarly to last year, the Colonials bested the ninth-seeded Penguins, knocking YSU out of the tournament.

A late second-half scoring stretch put the second-seeded Colonials in control, as they went on to win 68-53.

The game was tight in the first half.

It was a one-possession game for most of the first, but a Ta’Zir Smith 3-pointer extended the Colonials’ lead to 22-16 with just over four minutes left in the half.

Robert Morris went into the break with a 28-23 lead.

YSU guard Cris Carroll was effective from behind the 3-point arc in the first half as he had 13 points. He was 4 for 10 overall, but he went into the locker room 3-of-6 shooting from deep.

After the score was tied a 28, Ryan Prather Jr. gave the Colonials a 31-28 lead with a 3-pointer with 17:45 to play. It was a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

Robert Morris pushed its lead to 52-37 with a 9-0 run over a 2:22 span midway through the second half to steal the momentum and put the Penguins on the ropes.

The Colonials led by as many as 20 in the second half as the Penguins didn’t threaten down the stretch.

Vlad Salaridze led Youngstown State in points and rebounds, finishing with 18 and nine, respectively. Carroll ended the night with 17 points, and Cam Polak had six points.

Prather led all scorers with 24 points and he grabbed seven boards. DeSean Goode and Darius Livingston both scored 12 points, and Goode grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds with two blocks.

YSU fell to 15-17 on the season. Robert Morris improved to 22-10.

They will move on to Indianapolis, Ind., for the conference semifinals. The Horizon League semifinals are set for Monday night at Corteva Coliseum.